Published Oct 10, 2026 | 7:02 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 10, 2026 | 7:22 PM
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi meets Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK president C. Joseph Vijay in Chennai on October 10, 2026.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, who is in Chennai, met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Saturday, October 10.
Sources within the Congress leadership told South First that Rahul invited Vijay and his ruling TVK party to participate in future consultations, campaigns and protests against the BJP. In addition, Rahul congratulated Vijay on TVK’s victories in the recent by-elections in Dharapuram and Madurantakam.
This is the first meeting of the two leaders since the formation of the Secular Social Justice Victory Alliance in the state.
The ongoing protests organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) were also discussed.
Rahul arrived in Chennai by a special flight at around 12.30 pm. He had lunch at Vijay’s residence in Neelankarai, after which the two leaders visited ‘Bask, by Cafe’ in Palavakkam for refreshments.
They subsequently held a private meeting at the Taj Connemara hotel on Anna Salai in Chennai.
The TVK has faced criticism for not expressing significant support for, or taking a clear public position on, the protests held by the Congress and the CJP against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
This is despite TVK’s recent participation in an INDIA bloc meeting held to discuss protests and field-level activities related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and concerns raised by the parties regarding the Election Commission.
TVK’s position came under further focus on October 10, when police in several parts of Tamil Nadu reportedly denied permission for protests and detained young demonstrators.
There has also been political speculation about the CJP’s proximity to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Tamil Nadu’s principal opposition party.
Against this backdrop, Rahul Gandhi’s reported invitation assumes significance. The Congress leader has already been spearheading opposition efforts to raise concerns over the Election Commission and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The discussions reportedly included the possibility of TVK joining these initiatives.
On October 3, TVK participated for the first time in a meeting of Tamil Nadu parties associated with the INDIA bloc, held at the Congress headquarters in Chennai.
Although TVK is not formally part of the alliance, the party was represented by Aadhav Arjuna, who handles its election management, and Finance Minister Maria Wilson.
Rahul Gandhi’s latest invitation has therefore raised questions about whether TVK will engage more actively with opposition parties and INDIA bloc-led initiatives in the coming months.
Congress sources said it remains to be seen whether TVK will accept the invitation and participate more actively in these efforts or maintain its current stance.
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(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
